In the Shadows
by Hakumei-chan
Summary: After the sealing of the Kyuubi, The Yondaime’s body was never recovered. Years passed and many believed his body is gone at the cost of defeating the bijuu. Sarutobi told young Naruto about mythical creatures and in turn ask the Hokage a question of his.


Prologue

It was on his student's funeral day when the Toad Sannin was told that Minato had died sealing the Kyuubi. He never ran so fast in his life to reach back to Konoha to demand his sensei, the Sandaime Hokage, to answer about one disturbing information he was told by his spy network. "Are you sure his body wasn't there," the Toad Sannin, Jiraiya asked his teacher. From the reports and rumors, when the able-moving shinobis did a body count of the fallen, Minato's body was never recovered. They found nothing. There was no body, no footprints, not even a tri-pronged kunai their Hokage is famous for using. It was as if the body had just vanished from the thin air. Jiraiya knows that the dead can't just walk away from the scene and he's pretty damn sure gods are much more interested with the soul of the deceased and not the body. Especially when his student explained to him that summoning the shinigami means death to the summoner. Namikaze Minato, his former pupil is dead to the world…

…But where in the world is his body?

"There was no trace of the body," Sarutobi replied. "There were traces of Minato's chakra but that's from summoning the shinigami to seal the Kyuubi."

"Are you sure about this?" Jiraiya asked. A part of him still didn't believe that his former pupil is dead, not until he sees the body with his own eyes. Many could say Jiraiya has become like a fatherly-figure of their Hokage, the man refuses to believe his son is gone. Damn Tsunade if she states that he's in denial, he doesn't care. The Sandaime could see the pain in his student's eyes. No matter how big of a pervert his student is, even Jiraiya knows when to stop fooling around and be serious.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya," Sarutobi apologized. There was a painfully long silence before Jiraiya spoke up again.

"Even if Minato said that the god will take his soul as payment, nobody really knows how the jutsu works completely. Only a few do and I doubt we will get much asking the dead for the answer," Sandaime Sarutobi said. "Maybe the shinigami requires the body as payment too."

"But we don't know that," Jiraiya argued.

"And we will never do," Sarutobi said, nodding sagely. "He would have been a great Hokage…and father." They stood in silence, honoring the young Hokage before Jiraiya finally broke the silence.

"How is Kushina taking this?" he asked. Sarutobi look back at Jiraiya with sorrowful eyes and the younger man knew what his sensei was going to say next.

"She didn't make," he replied. "She died during the labor." Jiraiya's eyes widen.

"Then Naruto…" he trailed off, not able to finish the sentence.

"…Lives," Sarutobi finished. Jiraiya's head shot up and he could feel his hope soar.

"Where is he?" Jiraiya asked.

"The ANBU is watching him over at my home," Sarutobi replied. "But Jiraiya-"

"I'm going to see him," Jiraiya cut off, turning, just ready to jump out of the window.

"-Minato sealed the Kyuubi inside Naruto," Sarutobi finish and the Sannin abruptly stopped. Then slowly he turned back to his sensei.

"Minato…he sealed that monster into his own child," Jiraiya muttered in shock.

"There was no other choice," Sarutobi replied as he made his way towards the desk and rummaged through the drawers. "Naruto was the only child born on that day and only a baby with an undeveloped chakra coils can slowly adapt to the Kyuubi's chakra. A bijuu can't die and the only way to subdue them is to seal them…I too wished that Minato didn't have to die. He should have lived a long life and watch his son grow up but there was only little that could have been done." He pulled out a sealed scroll and handed it Jiraiya. "Minato left a couple instructions before he passed away. One was to ask the village to see Naruto as a hero of Konoha. Two, he left a scroll to the toads for you to retrieve and three, his final letter to you." Jiraiya look at the scroll before turning around again, facing the window.

"I'm going," Jiraiya said. The Sandaime didn't nod to reply, Jiraiya was gone before he even think about it.

/---------------/

Moments later, Jiraiya tower over a small crib with a sleeping blond baby resting peacefully. The toddler is oblivious to the world for now. The village will rebuild itself for now, but later on they'll find somebody for the blame and most likely they'll blame this toddler. Life as a Jinchuuriki is hard, no matter what. Jiraiya knows that through his travels to other villages.

"If only your father is here to be here with you, kid," Jiraiya muttered. The man was almost scared to touch the boy, he was afraid that the boy will break under the pressure. "You look just like him, more than your mom. Maybe you'll grow up acting more like your mom than dad. Loud and random…just what we need, a carbon clone of Minato with Kushina's attitude." He chuckled softly before turning sober again. "I will not lie you kid, I failed both as a teacher and friend. Your godfather here couldn't prevent a friend from being a missing nin and failed to be there by your father's side when the Kyuubi attacked. Those two are the greatest shames in my life." He was painfully aware that the baby wasn't listening but continues on talking. "Your life is going to be a hard one, Naruto. Being a Jinchuuriki means that you'll be hated by the village, even if your father ask that you should be seen as a hero. I don't hate you. I'm mad at your father for not telling me. I wish there was some way to go back time and rewrite history." The man shook his head. "I don't want to believe that your father's dead, Naruto. His body was never found, I won't believe that he's dead until I see the proof."

A bolt of lighting flash behind the shinobi, waking the sleeping baby whom soon cries. Instinctively, Jiraiya scoop the baby up from the crib and rock the baby. The Sannin soon see the baby's bright blue eyes and he felt a pang of sadness coming back again. The eyes are just like Minato's.

"You'll be a hero," Jiraiya continue, still rocking the baby. "I know you will be one someday. Your parents believe just the same, you will show the world what you can do." He didn't know how long he has been rocking the child but slowly the baby quietly fell back asleep. Jiraiya gently place Naruto back into the crib, turn around and pull out the scroll left by his student. He broke the seal that was placed on and in the scroll were a few kanji written in a hurry.

_'I'm sorry.'_

Feeling a single tear falling down his face, Jiraiya quickly wipes it away and jumps out of the window, looking back once before leaving the village for his self-appointed assignment.

/-------------/

Disclaimer: I do not own any anything, and if I did, the Minato would be alive. Shit man, ever since he made an appearance on the manga, I have been spazzing out. Depending on how successful this is, I'll update, but it'll be painfully slow.


End file.
